#HOW TO COPYRIGHT YOUR WORK REGISTRATION#
However, the NCC has established a voluntary copyright registration scheme designed to enable authors and right owners notify the Commission of the creation and existence of a work. It subsists automatically in a work from the moment the work is created. You do not have to register your copyright. It should be noted that registering for copyright is not a precondition for protection. Originality and expression are the key pillars for eligibility Do you need to register a copyright? You can’t have copyright protection over something in your head, which has not been expressed. in writing, a painting, a musical recording etc. What is eligible for copyright protection?įor it to be eligible for protection, the work must be sufficiently original, and must be in a form which is expressed e.g. In such a case, the person who has obtained the right by transfer or other legal means becomes the owner of copyright. However, the author is at liberty to transfer his rights to a third party. He/she owns the copyright in the work in the first instance. The ownership of copyright is vested in the creator of a copyright work, usually referred to as the “author” of the work. In Nigeria, copyright is governed by the Copyright Act, and the body charged with the enforcement and protection of copyright is the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC).
The exclusive rights are not absolute they are subject to certain limitations. A copyright is a legal right that grants the creator of an original work exclusive right to its use and distribution, usually for a limited time.